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Chapter 9: Problem 26

What kind of semiconductor is produced if silicon is doped with (a) phosphorus, and (b) indium?

Short Answer

Expert verified
(a) Silicon doped with phosphorus produces an n-type semiconductor. (b) Silicon doped with indium produces a p-type semiconductor.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Semiconductors and Doping

Semiconductors are materials that have an electrical conductivity that is between that of a conductor and an insulator. Silicon is one such semiconductor. By doping a semiconductor with other elements, the semiconductor's conductive properties can be altered, and they can be classified as either n-type or p-type semiconductors. N-type semiconductors are created when the dopant has more valence electrons than the semiconductor, resulting in an excess of negatively charged electrons. P-type semiconductors are created when the dopant has fewer valence electrons than the semiconductor, resulting in an excess of positively charged "holes."
02

Analyzing Silicon's Valence Electrons

Silicon (Si) is a semiconductor belonging to group 14 of the periodic table. It has 4 valence electrons. Thus, when doping Si with other elements, we need to compare the number of valence electrons in the doping element to the 4 electrons in silicon.
03

Evaluating Phosphorus as a Dopant

Phosphorus (P) is in group 15 of the periodic table, and it has 5 valence electrons. Since phosphorus has more valence electrons than silicon (5 vs. 4), when doped with silicon, it will result in an excess of negatively charged electrons. This excess of electrons will create an n-type semiconductor. So, if silicon is doped with phosphorus, the resulting semiconductor is an n-type semiconductor.
04

Evaluating Indium as a Dopant

Indium (In) is in group 13 of the periodic table and has 3 valence electrons. Since indium has fewer valence electrons than silicon (3 vs. 4), when doped with silicon, it will create an excess of positively charged "holes." This excess will create a p-type semiconductor. So, if silicon is doped with indium, the resulting semiconductor is a p-type semiconductor. To summarize: (a) When silicon is doped with phosphorus, an n-type semiconductor is produced. (b) When silicon is doped with indium, a p-type semiconductor is produced.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

In a physics lab, you measure the vibrationalrotational spectrum of HCl. The estimated separation between absorption peaks is \(\Delta f \approx 5.5 \times 10^{11} \mathrm{Hz}\). The central frequency of the band is \(f_{0}=9.0 \times 10^{13} \mathrm{Hz}\). (a) What is the moment of inertia ( \(I\) )? (b) What is the energy of vibration for the molecule?

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